01 March 2019

Emerald Illusion | The Friday 56 & First Line Friday

The Friday 56 is hosted weekly by Freda's Voice.
First Line Friday is hosted weekly by Hoarding Books.

Happy Friday!

And happy March, too!

This Oz-inspired adventure is one of the many books I'm hoping to read this month. And I'm thinking it'll be a good one.


First Line: I used to dream of a different life.

From 56%: The silence that settled seemed to penetrate the walls, filling the room with acute discomfort until the queen tipped her head.




ABOUT THE BOOK

Oz is not what you think. 

Abrielle used to dream of a different life. Adventure. Romance. Hope. 

Not of Kansas. 

Now, after the loss of her mother and a move she didn’t want to make, she’s lost the will to dream anymore, let alone believe in her father’s Somedays. But a swirling wind, a wall of leaves, and a blinding darkness transform her world. 

She and both of her brothers, Brogan and Matteaus, are swept from Kansas to someplace beyond—to a desert in which everything is watery brown, including the sky and the light of the weak sun. Abrielle finds herself in the middle of a realm everyone had heard of but no one believed existed. Except this version is run-down and broken, void of color and hope. Not much different from her view of life in Kansas. 

When she gathers her bearings, she discovers her youngest brother is missing, lost in a land that is foreign and dying. Finding Matteaus becomes her sole focus, but when she and Brogan meet a boy named Levi, who only adds more mystery to this world that shouldn’t exist, she finds out this kingdom is much more perilous than the children’s book ever told. 

Matteaus is in great danger. 

There is nothing safe about Oz. 

“With vivid settings, evocative descriptions, and brilliant characters facing issues relevant to our times, Emerald Illusion is a modern fairy tale that will appeal to anyone seeking a place to belong. With nods to L. Frank Baum and C. S. Lewis, author J. Rodes has created a portal fantasy that is both sweetly familiar and entirely new—with a hint of romance that adds an extra bit of tension to the plot. Highly recommended!” ~Serena Chase, author of the Eyes of E’veria series



Now, feel free to leave a line from a book near you in the comments below.
And be sure to stop by Hoarding Books and Freda's Voice for a peek into other books.

9 comments:

  1. Sounds intriguing. This week I am reading Cast in Oblivion by Michelle Sagara. Happy reading!

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  2. Interesting first line!

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  3. Great snippets! Happy weekend!

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  4. Happy Friday!

    I've shared the first line from The Deceived by Kelly Harrel over on my blog. But, I am currently reading Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews. OH. MY. WORD! Is this book AMAZING!!!! I'm just starting chapter 12, so I will leave the first line from there.

    "Babylon's coolest months were warmer than Jerusalem's winter, and my small world of friendships was warmer still."

    Hope you have a great weekend. Happy reading! 😊💜📚

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  5. Happy Friday & Happy Weekend! My first line is from "The Curse of Misty Wayfair" by Jaime Jo Wright:

    "Melancholy was a condition of the spirit and the soul, but also of the mind."

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  6. Happy Friday! Those are both great sounding snippets!

    I'm sharing the first line from Kristy Cambron's The Lost Castle: "Crumbling walls were rare, beautiful things."

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  7. This sounds pretty awesome - I may have to add this to my tbr! :)

    Lauren @ Always Me

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  8. What a lovely cover! My first line come from Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson:

    "Maple leaves draped over the tree house window, the silvery fronds linked together like rings of chain mail to protect the boy and girl playing inside."

    Happy Reading!

    https://moments-of-beauty.blogspot.com/2019/03/first-line-fridays-catching-wind-by.html

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  9. Hope you get the chance to read it soon! I've already read it and really liked it!
    On my blog this week I shared the first line from Uninvited by Beckie Lindsay but I'm currently reading Vivir el Dream by Allison K Garcia (Yes, it's written in *mostly* English but anything in Spanish shares the translation). I'll share the first line from my current chapter (6) here: "Linda grumbled as she changed from her pajamas into jeans and a t-shirt." Hope you have a great weekend with plenty of quality reading time! :)

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